The present invention relates to a hearing aid with a classification device for classifying a hearing situation at any one time, a setting device for setting the sound of the hearing aid, and a memory device, which is connected to the classification device and the setting device, for storing a sound setting with the assigned classification. In addition, the present invention relates to a corresponding method for operating a hearing aid.
The individually preferred sound settings of a hearing aid are dependent on the acoustic surroundings. For example, higher levels are desired for music at low frequencies than when holding a conversation in noisy surroundings. This means that the sound setting is generally carried out according to the signal class.
Modern hearing aids have classification systems which sense the hearing situation at any one time and perform corresponding settings in the hearing aid. These settings are determined during an adapting session with an acoustician and entered in the hearing aid as a fixed setting. From this fixed setting, the wearer of the hearing aid can then manually perform changes of the sound settings corresponding to changed acoustic requirements in each case from the fixed setting for the respective hearing situation. To avoid constant resetting, readjustment with the acoustician is necessary.
European Patent EP 0 814 634 B1 discloses a programmable hearing aid system. In this case, the set of parameters of a programmable hearing aid assigned to each hearing situation is not already established during adaptation with the hearing aid acoustician, but instead a number of test parameter sets are provided at the beginning for each hearing situation. In an optimizing phase, the wearer of the hearing aid can then determine which set of parameters is individually best suited for him in the individual hearing situations. The set of parameters is finally permanently assigned to the hearing situation. This constitutes adaptation to actual acoustic surrounding conditions, which can largely be performed by the wearer of the hearing aid himself.
In addition, the German patent document DE 101 52 197 A1 describes a method for programming a hearing aid with the aid of a remote control. The wearer of the hearing aid can switch his hearing aid to a receiving mode, in which absolute or relative parameter changes concerning the volume, high- or low-frequency boosting, activation of a noise filter, etc., are recorded. Recording is ended by actuating a memory button and stored in the hearing aid or the remote control. If the hearing aid then detects the same hearing situation once again, not only the setting for the hearing program provided for this but also the previously recorded operating steps become effective, so that an individual adaptation of the hearing program to the respective surrounding situation takes place.
The European patent document EP 1 453 356 A2 also discloses a method for setting a hearing system, it being possible for interactive adaptation to be performed during operation. A classifier detects different hearing situations and starts interactive adapting procedures, within which various settings must be assessed. In this case, only settings which match the hearing situation are offered.